College of Education and Human Development

School of Social Work

Staff

Alison Bey Alison Bey

  • Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • beyxx016@umn.edu

Alison has an MEd from the U of MN and has been working in the field of Adult Education for about 10 years. Alison is from Saint Paul, and currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and young daughter.

Alison Bey

Steve Carlson Steve Carlson

Steve joined the Center in 2014 as a Clinical Trainer. Prior to this he served as the Director of Training at a local Minnesota non-profit. He has had a full career in the mental health field spanning nearly forty years.

Steve Carlson

Denise Cooper Denise Cooper

Denise supports the Outreach efforts of CASCW.

Denise Cooper

Cliff Dahlberg Cliff Dahlberg

  • Curriculum Media Specialist, MN Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • dahlb056@umn.edu

Cliff earned his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Minnesota. He is dually licensed as a graduate social worker (LGSW) and alcohol and drug counselor (LADC).

Rae Dillon Rae Dillon

  • Academic Advisor: Youth Studies, SSW minors, and the Youth Development Leadership Program
  • she/her/hers
  • mill4780@umn.edu

Rae Dillon, our new academic advisor, has served in the education field for over thirteen years (youth programs, public schools, education nonprofits, & higher education).

Rae Dillon, headshot

Kyle Evans Kyle Evans

Kyle comes to us from the University of Minnesota, Morris campus bringing with him five years of progressive higher education experience.

Crystal Fernandez Crystal Fernandez

  • Executive Administrative Office Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • crystal@umn.edu

Crystal supports Title IV-E students at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work.

Crystal Fernandez

Jane Fields Jane Fields

  • Evaluation and Credentialing Supervisor, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • jfields@umn.edu

Jane has more than two decades of experience working with project leaders, staff members, participants, and communities in evaluating program designs, implementation, and impact as both an internal and external evaluator.

Jane Fields

Kaia Forde Kaia Forde

Kaia Forde works primarily on the messaging, marketing, and communication materials to be used be within and outside of the CASCW.

Kaia Forde

Liz Fronsoe Liz Fronsoe

Liz coordinates the Phoenix Learning Xchange program which aims to broaden the knowledge of development, challenges, positive engagement and wellbeing of youth and adolescents involved in the child welfare and other social service systems, all while…

Liz Fronsoe

Stacy Gehringer Stacy Gehringer

  • Director of Outreach, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • she, her, hers
  • gehr0086@umn.edu

Stacy leads the Outreach efforts at CASCW, the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. She manages communication, training events, faculty partnerships, center collaborations, awards, CW360°, and policy tracking.

Stacy Gehringer

Josh Geiger Josh Geiger

  • Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • 612-301-9771
  • geig0042@umn.edu

Josh is from St. Paul and currently lives on the West Side. He has previously worked as a trainer, adviser, and teacher. Josh enjoys uncovering the connectedness of seemingly disconnected things and brings an artistic lens to his work.

Josh Geiger

Emily Gus Emily Gus

  • Research Coordinator, Center for Practice Transformation
  • she, her, hers
  • emilygus@umn.edu

Emily Gus joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) as a Research Coordinator, with an MPH in Community Health Promotion from the University of Minnesota.

Emily Gus

Kelly Johnson Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as an Operations Coordinator with a BA in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Kelly Johnson

Sydney Johnson Sydney Johnson

Dr. Johnson leads the design and implementation of research and evaluation projects at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare.

Sydney Johnson

Lolita Johnson Lolita Johnson

  • Curriculum Supervisor, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9769
  • howa0052@umn.edu

Lolita has over 20 years of leadership, training, and design experience that relates to adult education and development.

Lolita Johnson

Kurt Hattenberger Kurt Hattenberger

Kurt holds degrees in instrumental music education (B.M. St. Olaf College) and saxophone performance (M.M. University of Minnesota).

Traci LaLiberte Traci LaLiberte

  • Executive Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • 612-624-2279
  • lali0017@umn.edu

Child Welfare, Disability, Evaluation, Policy, Systems Change

Traci LaLiberte

Angela Lauer-Schaeppi Angela Lauer-Schaeppi

  • Curriculum Developer with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she/her/hers
  • 612.301.9772
  • laue0089@umn.edu

Angie is a curriculum developer for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.

Nora Lee Nora Lee

  • Administrative Operations Professional with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9792
  • nmlee@umn.edu

Nora started with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare June 2011 as the Executive Office and Administrative Specialist. She assists with the outreach, professional education, and program operations components of the Center.

Nora Lee

Julia Lodge Julia Lodge

Julia has over 15 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications and she leads the planning and execution of the communication efforts for the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW).

Stuart Miller Stuart Miller

  • Evaluation and Certification Specialist, MN Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • ssmiller@umn.edu

Stuart recently completed his PhD in psychology at Kansas State University. Much of the focus of his research was on the psychology of prejudice as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Shiheina Munye Shiheina Munye

  • Engagement and Communications Specialist, Center for Practice Transformation
  • munye006@umn.edu

Shiheina Munye joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as a Community Engagement Coordinator with a BS in Health Promotion & Equity and Community & Environmental Sociology.

Shiheina Munye

Timothy Nichols Timothy Nichols

  • Web and Digital Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • he, him, his
  • 612-625-7468
  • nich0121@umn.edu

Tim has been with the University of Minnesota since 2012 and has experience working with website management, Drupal, Salesforce and Google Analytics.

Timothy Nichols

Bill O'Connor Bill O'Connor

  • Communications Director, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • 612-301-9788
  • oconn301@umn.edu

Bill leads the communication strategy for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), which is a partnership between the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) and the Child Safety and Permanency Division at the Minnesota…

Bill O'Connor

Peggy Pond Peggy Pond

  • Academic Support Services Professional
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-624-3700
  • ppond@umn.edu

I have many roles in SSW! My main focus is assisting all of our School of Social Work's academic programs, both undergraduate and graduate.

Peggy Pond

Julie Rohovit Julie Rohovit

  • Director of the Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
  • rohov001@umn.edu

Julie is one of the founders of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation.

Julie Rohovit

Suzanne Shatila Suzanne Shatila

Suzanne Shatila, DSW, MSSW, LGSW, is the MSW Program Director. Dr. Shatila was involved in mezzo and macro-level social work practice with human services, children's services, and community-based nonprofits prior to moving into higher education…

Suzanne Shatila

Liz Snyder Liz Snyder

  • Director of Training Partnership and Co-Director of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9808
  • snyde276@umn.edu

In addition to being Co-Director of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), Liz is the Director of Training Partnerships at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW).

Liz Snyder

Michael Van Wert Michael Van Wert

  • Clinical Trainer and Research Associate, Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
  • he, him, his
  • vanwe027@umn.edu

Michael Van Wert joined the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation in 2022.

Michael Van Wert

Keely Vandre Keely Vandre

  • PACC Coordinator, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare; SSW Communications
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-626-3831
  • shal0035@umn.edu

Keely coordinates the Permanency & Adoption Competency Certificate (PACC) program offered through the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, supporting advanced level training for mental health and child welfare professionals, and increasing a…

Keely Vandre

Sandra Vega Carrero Sandra Vega Carrero

  • Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she/her/hers
  • vegac001@umn.edu

Sandra Vega Carrero is an experienced eLearning and adult education professional with 12+ years of expertise in project management and instructional design.

Amy Walkner Amy Walkner

  • Evaluation and Certification Specialist, MN Child Welfare Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • awalkner@umn.edu

Amy is a licensed social worker with over 15 years’ direct practice, research, data, and policy experience in the areas of adoption, foster care, family relationships, and children’s mental health.

Kate Walthour Kate Walthour

  • Director of Professional Education, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • 612-625-8169
  • kwalthou@umn.edu

As Director of Professional Education in the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), Kate manages the Title IV-E Child Welfare Program for MSW students including admissions, stipends, advising, and advanced curriculum.

Kate Walthour

Jennifer Wiseman Jennifer Wiseman

  • Associate Director of Training and Operations, Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
  • wisem017@umn.edu

As Associate Director of Operations, Jen oversees the daily and strategic administrative operations of the Center for Practice Transformation and supervises processes for monitoring all projects including contract management, invoicing, deliverables,…

Jennifer Wiseman

Jillian Wright Jillian Wright

  • Associate Director of Community Engagement, Center for Practice Transformation
  • she/her/hers
  • 6123015361
  • wrig0331@umn.edu

Jillian Wright is the Center for Practice Transformation's Associate Director of Community Engagement, and continues work as a clinical trainer.

Jillian Wright